The family of late Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei has accused Kenyan police of failing to act quickly to save their daughter, who was unable to rest for months before she died.

Joseph Cheptegei confirmed her daughter’s death at a press conference at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City on Thursday. She said they had lodged a complaint with the Trans Nzoia County Criminal Investigation Department early enough regarding her safety.

He said it was regrettable that her daughter, who was a pillar of strength for the family, had been murdered by someone she knew.

He said that at one point Rebecca was transporting some personal belongings to Uganda and her ex-boyfriend followed her all the way. Together they filed a report at Endebes police station in Trans Nzoia County.

“On my side, the government authorities failed because we reported early enough about her safety, because this man even followed her to the Ugandan side, but they did not act quickly. It was clear that her life was in danger,” the devastated father said.

“We filed the same complaint on Friday, but unfortunately he doused my daughter with petrol and she died… the government must act now, but it is too late.”

Cheptegei then spoke about how her daughter supported the family, especially those who were still learning. She said that their lives have been turned upside down and they don’t know what to do.

“We don’t know what to do now, but we are asking for support because she used to support her family during her career. We are confused and the government should take action against this man,” he said, thanking doctors for their efforts to save her daughter’s life.

According to Dr. Kimani Mbugua, head of the Operating Room and Intensive Care Unit, Cheptegei died on Thursday morning despite the intensive care she received at the hospital.

The doctor added that she suffered severe burns, which led to multi-organ failure, including kidney and heart failure.

He said it was a multidisciplinary collaboration involving plastic surgeons, ICU doctors, physicians, nurses, nutritionists and physiotherapists and the most important thing was to save her life.

“We want to express our condolences to the family, the country and the whole world, because the patient was an international athlete and was known everywhere. We held a family debriefing and we explained to them what was the whole process that we carried out to save the patient’s life,” said Dr. Mbugua.

Her training partner, James Kirwa, who works at the same camp in Kapkoros, Bukwo District in Uganda, said the athletes were devastated by the news as they knew Cheptegei as a modest athlete.

“It’s sad that we lost our sister in such a way. She was a hardworking athlete and it showed when we trained together. I spoke to her after the Olympics and she was in a good mood and looking forward to training again,” Kirwa said.

Salesio Murithi, deputy district commander of Trans Nzoia, said the athlete and her parents had filed a complaint against her ex-partner, which was being handled by the Directorate Criminal Investigation (DCI).

He said the complaint revolved around a land dispute.

“The case has been investigated by DCI and given what happened, we are waiting for the patient to recover so that we can charge him for what he did once the investigation is complete,” Murithi said.

Sports Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said in his condolences that he was saddened by the tragic loss of the Ugandan marathon runner.

“Rebecca was an incredible athlete who showed resilience in representing Uganda and East Africa. Her passing is not only a loss to Uganda and the athletics community, but to the entire region.

This tragedy is a painful reminder that we need to do more to combat gender-based violence in our society, which has been particularly prevalent in elite sports in recent years.

“As a government, we remain committed to supporting justice for Rebecca. No one should have to endure such an ordeal. May her soul rest in peace,” the statement said.

Her compatriots Stella Chesang and Immaculate Chemtai were also present at the hospital to offer their condolences to the family.